This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
Working Title: Kids Wilderness Epic: From YKTTW
Gracie Lizzie: I'm tempted to add Homeward Bound to this but it's not exactly right because it's about a bunch of pets in the wilderness. Not a a bunch of kids in the wilderness.
Removed:
Lord Of The Flies was written before this genre existed as described here.
Nornagest: This isn't a film-specific trope; there's a whole genre of novels for older children and younger teenagers, mostly from the Eighties and Nineties, that share the basic plot structure. Gary Paulson's books are probably the best examples, but there are others (such as My Side of the Mountain). One major difference: the literary genre is most often about one child (usually a boy) alone in the wilderness, not a small group, although sequels often introduce companions.
I'd add something about it, but I probably shouldn't take the time right now. Anyone else want to take a shot?
Also, it occurs to me that one of the major subplots of Jurassic Park fits this trope rather cleanly.
CountChoculitis: Yeah, what Nornagest said. Another example from the 20th century would be Island of the Blue Dolphins, one of the only ones with a lone female character (although she starts out with a brother.) But really, the genre has roots at least as far back as the books of RM Ballantyne, who wrote a string of ridiculously optimistic, Victorian 'boys stranded in the wilderness' books, most notably The Coral Island. Lord Of The Flies is an obvious response to Ballantyne (hell, the main characters in Coral Island are named Ralph, Jack, and Peterkin.)
